Lou Ferrigno — who will be one of the featured guests at Denver Comic Con this weekend — may be best known for portraying The Incredible Hulk, but it was the giant green beast who inspired the actor as a child.

An avid comic book fan growing up, Ferrigno read issues featuring the likes of Superman and Spider-Man, but it was Bruce Banner’s alter-ego with his larger-than-life size that captured the boy’s imagination. Growing up mostly deaf, he found escape in the stories and looked at the Hulk’s muscles as a means to empower himself.

“I was obsessed with power,” he said. “I used to fantasize being about it.”

That fantasy led him to the world of bodybuilding, a sport he excelled at, becoming Mr. Universe in 1973 and 1974. His size — 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds — drew interest in other avenues, which got him a short run with the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League. But he had one ambition he wanted to pursue, but was afraid to admit to others.

“I wanted to be an actor, but I never told anyone,” he said.

He got his opportunity in 1976, when the producers of “The Incredible Hulk” decided that they didn’t hire the right person in the role of the big green monster and Ferrigno was called in to audition.

It was a perfect fit.

“I went out for the screen test, the next day they had me on the set,” he said.

Every day it took four hours of makeup, constant touch-ups throughout the shoot, and another hour to clean up at the end, but Ferrigno said he loved watching the reactions of people when they saw him in full costume.

“I was amazed how many people adored the character,” he said. “It’s beautiful.”

Ferrigno remembered one day when he was too tired for the makeup removal process. It was 2 a.m., he told the artist to go home and he got in his car and left. Driving home, someone in the car next to him saw the Hulk driving, took their eyes completely off the road and slammed into the car in front of them.

“I never did that again,” he said laughing.

It’s been three decades since he’s donned the green makeup, but he’s not done being the Hulk yet. He’s voiced the character in Marvel’s recent movies “The Incredible Hulk” and “Avengers,” and will reprise it once again in “Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

Now 62, Ferrigno continues to work on new projects. He’s starring in “Bandit Hound,” a comedy with Paul Sorvino and Judd Nelson that is set to be released late this year. He started a fitness competition called “The Ferrigno Legacy” that will take place at the end of November in Santa Barbara, Calif. He’s even become a deputy for the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio.

“I put a lot of time into search and rescue,” he said. “My father was a lieutenant for NYPD.”

Ferrigno finds joy in going to conventions and meeting him fans, who, he said, “make the show, they make you who you are today.” He admits, however, his inner fanboy would have exploded if there were events like that when he was growing up.

“I never had a show like this to go to,” he said. “I probably would’ve fainted the day before.”

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